Andreas Antoniou “Pyrakis”: A Forgotten E.O.K.A. Hero

Andreas Antoniou, known in the Sacred Struggle by the name “Pyrakis,” personifies absolute daring, organizational skill, and unwavering devotion to duty. He joined the ranks of EOKA at just 17 years old in the Larnaca district. His abilities quickly propelled him to the heavy responsibility of Sector Head for a large part of the Nicosia district.

Front-Line Action and Daring Operations

Pyrakis always operated in the front line. He planned and executed successful ambushes. Also he manufactured bombs and created weaponry and transported explosives wherever the Organization needed them, defying death at every step.

Betrayal and the Manhunt

During Easter of 1958, a member of his team successfully executed a traitor in Nicosia. However, British forces arrested the executioner just 8 hours later. Under the pressure of interrogations, the executioner broke down and revealed information. The British thus uncovered Pyrakis’s network. Many team members fell into enemy hands, but the Sector Head himself escaped the encirclement through a series of clever maneuvers. From that moment, he went into guerrilla mode and continued his activities undeterred, moving from one hideout to another: from Machairas to Psevdas and Gourri.

The Commander’s Highest Praise

In his memoirs, Commander Digenis himself spoke of Pyrakis with the most laudatory comments. He described him as a risk-taker, an excessively bold man who never refused any mission, no matter how dangerous.

Life After the Struggle

After the end of the Struggle, Andreas Antoniou returned to peaceful life. He married his beloved Athena and built a beautiful family with four sons: Theodoros, Antonis, Giorgos, and Michalis.